{
  "id": 6009736,
  "title": "Common artificial sweetener aspartame makes brain cells more vulnerable to stroke damage, mouse study suggests",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/06/common-artificial-sweetener-aspartame-makes-brain-cells-more",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-06T18:00:36.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "PsyPost",
    "slug": "psypost",
    "url": "https://www.psypost.org/common-artificial-sweetener-aspartame-makes-brain-cells-more-vulnerable-to-stroke-damage-mouse-study-suggests/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A recent study in mice suggests that the artificial sweetener aspartame may increase brain vulnerability to stroke damage. Consuming aspartame was found to disrupt cellular energy centers and block protective signaling pathways during oxygen deprivation, making brain cells more susceptible to injury. The study, published in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, examined the effects of aspartame on brain cells and mice. Mice were divided into groups and given water containing either 0.1% or 0.2% aspartame, which approximates the upper limit of an acceptable daily intake for humans. After a week, the mice experienced a simulated stroke by having their carotid arteries blocked for two hours and then unblocked to allow 12 hours of reperfusion. Mice pretreated with aspartame showed significantly worse brain damage than those that drank regular water. The dead tissue area expanded from 24.3% in the control group to 58.6% in the aspartame group. Additionally, aspartame-treated mice had fewer surviving neurons and more severe signs of cellular degeneration in the cortex and hippocampus, brain regions involved in memory and thinking. The researchers isolated neural stem cells from newborn mice and treated them with aspartame for 48 hours before subjecting them to oxygen and glucose deprivation. The cells treated with aspartame experienced a 25% larger reduction in viability compared to cells that underwent oxygen and glucose deprivation alone. Other common artificial sweeteners, such as sucralose and acesulfame potassium, did not produce the same added toxic effect. The study suggests that aspartame causes a massive buildup of reactive oxygen species within the mitochondria of cells, leading to increased cell death and inflammation. Suppressing the ERK/CREB1 pathway, a protective signaling sequence, partially reversed the cell death and inflammation caused by aspartame. Researchers note that the study's short duration does not reflect daily consumption habits, and it remains unclear if chronic, low-dose exposure would alter the brain's resilience to injury over a lifetime. Additionally, the study used only male mice and did not test for behavioral or cognitive changes. Further research is needed to explore how artificial sweeteners alter metabolic pathways over longer periods and whether these mechanisms apply to human clinical scenarios.",
  "summary": "A new mouse study indicates the common artificial sweetener aspartame could exacerbate stroke-related brain damage. The sweetener suppresses protective cellular signals and increases oxidative stress, leading to higher rates of brain cell death.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}